Contents

Background

After analyzing field reports that showed grievous losses, the GDI Board of Directors met to address the issue of the lack of long-range mobile artillery support. The Juggernaut Mk. I combined GDI naval and walker technology by fitting three large-caliber naval guns to a modified Titan Mk. I chassis.[1]

Like contemporary Nod self-propelled artillery, the Juggernaut had to deploy stabilizers out of its rear and become stationary prior to firing. Each of the walker's guns was smaller than the single gun carried by its Nod counterpart, but the larger number of guns allowed the Juggernaut to better saturate a target area. When deployed, the turret can traverse 360 degrees, ensuring all around security. The Juggernaut is notably faster in mobile mode, compared to Nod's Artillery.

Like all walkers of the period, the Juggernaut emerged from the conflict with mixed reviews. GDI found the all-terrain mobility conferred by walkers to be offset by the expense of construction and deployment.[2] However, while other walkers were withdrawn from service, the Juggernaut and its descendants remained essential parts of the arsenal.[3] As indirect combat vehicles GDI decided the all-terrain mobility outweighed the costs.[2]

In-game

The Juggernaut serves as a mobile artillery gun, possessing great range and power that make it perfect for siege warfare. Despite its imposing appearance however, the Juggernaut is surprisingly vulnerable to most forms of attack, especially anti-armor weaponry. On top of this, it is fairly slow moving. These two vulnerabilities combined bestow the Juggernaut with the necessity to be protected either by friendly units or a healthy amount of distance from its targets.

The Juggernaut cannot fire while mobile; in order to use its powerful artillery guns, it needs to plant itself in the ground first, a process which takes around two seconds to complete. Once implanted, it can and will fire at any target inside it's attack radius; in order for it to attack anything outside that radius, it must rise back up, move to a close spot, and then plant itself again.

Their attack is weaker than that of their Nod Artillery counterpart, but has a wider dispersal, and is best used against crowds of enemy infantry. While it is useful against infantry or even light armor, it is not very effective against heavily armored units or buildings. However, it has a significantly greater attack radius than Nod Artillery: considering that Nod Artillery has eggshell-thin armor, this means that artillery battles in Firestorm now become very lopsided. It is now extremely difficult for Nod Artillery to attack GDI bases defended by Juggernauts. Further, Nod bases which were once securely defended by entrenched artillery can now have them destroyed from a distance by Juggernauts. While Juggernauts are not useful against heavily armored units, Nod technology doesn't focus on heavy armor: only Tick-tanks can withstand a barrage long enough to try to rush their positions. However, the Tick-tank is infamously outclassed by the GDI Titan walker. It is now extremely difficult for Nod to counter a GDI assault force composed of Juggernaut and Titans. They are still weak against air units, and here there is something of an advantage because Nod's basic infantry have anti-air capability that GDI's Disc Throwers do not. However, while a bit more expensive, Jump Jet infantry or Hover MLRS can still cover the advance. For that matter, air strikes in Tiberian Sun are not particularly effective against large numbers of units, so a sufficient number of well protected Juggernauts can eventually grind down a Nod base from outside their firing range.

Assessment

Pros

Extreme bombardment range keeps it well away from combat zones; longest range of any available GDI unit

Very destructive against structures and infantry

Excellent for suppressing and harassing enemy forces

Reasonably cheap ($950).

Excessively strong when massed

Faster than Nod's Artillery.

Detects stealth units when elite

Cons

Slow moving speed

Vulnerable to anti-vehicles units

Vulnerable to air units.

Primary weapon has limitation of minimum range; cannot fire if target is too close